This invention relates to apparatus and a method for selecting and playing music, and more particularly to such apparatus and method which can be used to select and play music to create and maintain a desired musical ambiance within a public establishment such as a nightclub, or the like.
It is well known that the musical ambiance is very important to a nightclub or the like, in which commercial success may be largely dependent on the musical ambiance, together with other factors. Repeat visits to such an establishment by its patrons is fostered by preserving the same musical ambiance at the same time each day, during given hours of the daytime and evening, with the same musical ambiance repeating reliably from day to day, and from week to week.
The total ambiance of an establishment is created partly by fixed factors, such as decor and the like, which do not change with time. These factors need to be selected only once, so that expensive expert consultation is not required on a regular basis. However, the music which is heard by the patrons is subject to a continuous selection process. The appropriate selection of the proper music is also of vital importance in the establishment of a musical ambiance for the establishment, and to the formation of positive attitudes toward the establishment by customers, which lead to repeat business, and business growth, through word of mouth publicity.
The particular music selections required to be played for establishing a given ambiance at any given time depend on specific characteristics, such as demographic characteristic of the patrons of the establishment, for example, and these characteristics vary with the location of the establishment, the class of patrons it serves, etc., as well as the time of day for any given day of the week.
In the past, it has been possible to make decisions concerning the music to be played at any given time, and playing the same, by using a disc jockey or the like. The disc jockey selects the music required for the demands of the moment, and sees to its playing, by putting the record, whether disc or tape in the appropriate player, etc. However, the skill required to make appropriate selections of music on a moment to moment basis is achieved only after much training and, therefore, relatively expensive personnel are required, who are expert in the art of selecting the appropriate music to create a desired musical ambiance. Any change in the identity of the disc jockey or person making the selections can have the undesirable effect of changing the ambiance of the establishment, thus tending to discourage repeat business from its customers, and limiting the growth of the business.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide apparatus and a method for selecting music to be played at any given time, which does not require the services of highly trained or highly skilled personnel, and which is not subject to the variations which necessarily result from personnel changes and uneven day to day performance of the disc jockey.